The show goes on, as Skate School in Ferndale rises above devastating theft
Shayne Robinson refuses to let the setback stop the Motherland event after thieves broke into the storage area and stole R25 000 worth of essential tools.
Just 11 days before their biggest event of the year, tragedy has struck the Skate School Academy at Ferndale Recreation Centre.
In the early hours of the morning, the school’s storage area was broken into, with tools worth over R25 000 being stolen.
The tools were used in building and maintaining the skate ramps, as well as to prepare for the highly anticipated skateboarding event, the Motherland, taking place on August 9.
Read more: Ferndale-based Skate School Academy celebrates sixth anniversary
For founder and head coach Shayne Robinson, the theft is a devastating setback. He explained that the thieves basically cut through the fence, came in with a bolt cutter, snapped the door open, and walked away with all the tools.
“The worst part is that they’re stealing from children. I think they’ve obviously been watching us, because there are guys that hang out here all day long.”
Months of planning and hard work suddenly faces uncertainty, as the missing tools threaten to delay the completion of the ramps.
“They literally took all the tools. My circular saw, reciprocating saw, grinder, leaf blower, paint gun, nail gun, the drills, the drill bits, paint. It’s about R25 000 worth of tools.”
With time running out, Robinson has made the difficult decision to use funds set aside for the event itself to replace the stolen equipment, and keep construction on track.
Also read: Randburg to host South Africa’s biggest women’s skateboarding competition this Women’s Day
“I bought R10 000 worth of tools out of the budget for Motherland. I’ve used the prize money to buy the tools so I can finish the skate park, because, if the skate park is not finished, we can’t have the competition.”
He added that he will now rely on community support, and that the prizes will just have to be a little bit smaller.
Despite the disappointment and financial strain, Robinson refused to let the incident define the skate school’s story. Instead, he reassured the skating community that Motherland would go ahead as planned.
“We’ve got to have the competition. The girls deserve their day. We’ve just spent R50 000 building the big ramp, which is kind of a showpiece for the event.
The event is 100% going on. We’ve got kids coming from Durban, Cape Town, and Kimberley. We’ve got over 40 registered athletes for this event. It is going to be the biggest girls-only competition.”
He added that there’s nothing that will stop him.
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